That Sweet Cracking Sound

[Poe]

​Granted a reprieve from my studies with Master Lord Krest, I took this time to pursue my heart's desire. From my early trainings with weapons, I knew what I wanted. But to create it was lost on me. The exotic weapon I desired was not well viewed amongst the Force wielders in the galaxy, most opting for either Sith Swords or lightsabers. Then one night last week I discovered a dusty tome on an upper shelf in the newly erected Sith Temple on Bastion. Fingering through the pages, taking care no to rip or harm the fragile paper, I began to recognize what I discovered.

​Storming toward the bay, where my ship awaited me, I gripped the satchel containing the tome eyeing everyone I passed with paranoid eyes. This tome was not only going to help me create my main weapon, but it had outlines and side notes containing the known location of a legendary weapon. Arriving to the bay and finally getting settled in the small fighter-type ship, I headed out.

​The weapon had once been lost to the ages, but the Force had a unique way of resurrecting items from days long gone. So punching the coordinates in, I made the jump to lightspeed; my destination the Temple of Pain, a Sith Temple, built inside an asteroid in the Tascollan Nebula.

 

[Poe]

​The asteroid appeared outside the ship's tiny viewport, prompting me to take a revolution around the asteroid to ensure there were no surprises waiting for me. Confident I was alone, I cautiously entered the massive rock. Sighting the temple, I looked for a reasonable landing spot. With the landing concluded I checked the air type through the ship's atmosphere scanners. I was slightly surprised the air was breathable, but then again I wasn't. Even from inside the ship the call of the Darkside was loud and deafening. The Temple of Pain had been around for a long time, time enough for the Darkside to cradle it like a child; protecting it with an unnatural Motherly instinct.

​The ship many yards behind me, I stood in front of the Sith Temple looking for a way in. The main entrance had been shut-off to visitors. Skeletons and ancient weapons were scattered about, signs of a battle from the old days. I began walking around the Temple looking for a way in when I heard a whisper float through the air. Removing my training hilt, I looked around the area putting myself on high alert. "I do not have time for games. Show yourself,"​ I said. My inquiry was answered with a cold silence. Growling, I returned my weapon to my sash and ventured forth.

​Finding no way in, I returned to the front of the temple and saw the entrance was no longer blocked. ​"Illusions can be an excellent defense to deter the uninvited," ​came the same voice I heard earlier. Before I could respond the voice added, ​"Come young Sith. There is much I can show you. Much more I can teach you. Much, much more I can drown you deeper into the freezing waters of the Force."

 

[Poe]

​Like the outside entrance, the floors were decorated with skeletons; some in various colors, shapes, and sizes. The main hall was dark and foreboding, with very little light to guide one. A cold sensation picked at my exposed flesh, but it was the feeling of being watched that kept me on guard. I knew I was being watched, but by what or whom I didn't know. The voice that spoke to me outside, twice, had an ethereal tone to it; could it be a Sith Force Ghost? Such apparitions were known to be violent, cryptic, and self-loathing to the living. Hostility was in their nature, or so I've learned through tomes in Bastion's Sith Temple's archives. Or could the voice belong to one of the dead, who's flesh stripped bones added to the décor of the temple? No, that wasn't right. The voice talked of drowning me further into the freezing waters of the Darkside.

​Slowly I moved through the darkness once my eyes adjusted to the absence of light, but even then I needed to watch my footing. Broken, jagged bones protruded up from the floor, and with one false step they could easily puncture through my boots sending a skeleton spear into my flesh. Then wounded, though not mortally, I would be at the mercy of this disembodied voice. Then I recalled the torch in my satchel, retrieved it, and turned it on. Scanning the main hall thoroughly, I saw nothing note worthy. A staircase, designed in spiral fashion, led to a second floor. I started toward it when out of the darkness came, ​"What you seek you will not find up there. What you seek can only be found with me, and to find me you must find the crevice in a shattered wall in the tombs of the temple's underbelly."

​Ignoring the voice, for now, I started up the spiral staircase. Like the floors below, this too bore the scars of battle. The floor, guarded by ruined rails, swept around the floor in a semi-circle. Here upon the second floor, there were only two openings; one on either side of the staircase's maw.

 

[Poe]

​The opening on the right led me into what appeared to be some religious chamber. I didn't know Sith held any religious beliefs, unlike the Primeval whom I walked with, but here in the chamber there was visible proof. Several statues, constructed from different alloys, sat collecting dust on stands all around the room; covering the lower regions of the walls. Closer inspection revealed that some of these religious idols once housed some jewels or such, since shaped empty slots were void of their once embedded treasures. These jewels, or whatever they were, undoubtedly had been stolen and pillaged long ago by scavengers and explorers; even pirates.

​Turning away from the last of the statues, I focused on the lone alter erected in the center of the room. The top, shaded in black, held several tools associated with ritual sacrifice. These tools alone led me to believe that this temple might have been used by cults, not just Sith. The tools themselves looked crudely made, unlike my flesh peeling blade. I picked one up, feeling a vibration in my hand followed by a glimpse of a masked individual wielding the blade in a hovering fashion over a barely dressed woman. Then the vision was gone. I dropped the tool, shaking my head at what I just witnessed.

​Disregarding the remaining tools, I examined the alter in greater detail. All along the outside trimming there were intricate designs, some naturally created and others carved in. Most of the designs, symbols mostly, I did not recognize. A couple I did. The two that stood out to me seemed ancient Sith symbols of some kind. But their meaning was unknown to me, so I produced my small datapad from the satchel; making a video recording of them for future studies.

 

[Poe]

​The room on the left appeared to be a meeting room judging by the massive table in the room, where several chairs, some still in their upright positions and others turned over and broken, were lined around it. The room, outside the table and chairs, possessed several ruined paintings in varying stages of decay on the walls. Shining the light on them, there was no way to determine what they depicted but I assumed they were Sith in origin; perhaps artwork of old Sith Lords or current Lords that utilized this room.

​"How much time do you plan to waste on your useless exploring," ​the voice echoed through the room. I had to admit, the voice was right. There was nothing worthy up here except the symbols I recorded and that odd vision I received when touching one of the tools. The latter I would discuss with my Master, hopefully he could shed some light on that.

​After returning to the main floor, I searched the remaining rooms; finding nothing except a broken door at the back where a staircase descended down into the darkness. Shining the light ahead me, I walked down the steps as the voice said, "Very soon, young Sith. Very soon."

 

[Poe]

​The tombs, scattered all over the mausoleum, seemed perfectly unmolested. Some of the tombs, it appeared, bore marks and scratches from both previous and repeated attempts to remove the lids. Other than those, the tombs were in their ancient state of preservation. I turned from the resting place of dead Sith to look for the hole the voice mentioned earlier, and true to it's words, it was in the back. Ducking my head, I stepped through the hole and was greeted by an ancient energy. It staggered me slightly, but I righted myself and moved forward, stopping once more when the light on my torch went dark. ​"You will not require that light, the shadows and the dark rule supreme here, young Sith."

​I walked through the darkened tunnel, using the wall to guide me since my eyes could not adjust to the extreme darkness all around me. Again I felt that ancient energy, and like some magician's trick, the room I stumbled in lit up with flames upon mounted torches. In the back, pushed up against the wall was an alter, with some object resting on top. I took a step and was pushed back, forced up against the wall next to the opening I entered. Before my eyes, an apparition in the form of a female manifested a few yards in front of me. The glowing woman looked familiar but before I could speak, the apparition said, ​"Welcome to my sanctuary, young Sith. I am Lumiya, former Dark Lady of the Sith. We've been expecting you."

 

[Poe]

​"We," ​I began trying to free myself when more ghosts of the dead began materializing before my eyes. Unlike Lumiya, these others where not as bright, some flickering about as if they were struggling to maintain their forms. I began to laugh. "Ghost and their stories do not scare me. Parlor tricks designed to break my will," I snarled finally breaking myself from the invisible hold. ​"I do not wish to break your will, young Sith. I wish to empower you with the knowledge of the Sith and the Dark Side." I looked at the former Dark Lady in stunning awe. ​"But first, young Sith, you must prove yourself to me."

​I looked around the room, shaking my head when I turned my attention back to Lumiya. ​"How am I to prove myself to you?" ​Lumiya slapped her hands together, sending the ghosts on the attack. I gripped my Sith Sword, instead of my Sith whip, and defended myself. Each time I struck a ghost, it disappeared then reappeared a few seconds later to pursue it's attack. I was becoming overwhelmed when the realization struck me, these ghosts were illusions, not real ghosts, thus they couldn't harm me. For a second I was confounded. I'm an Epicanthix, so no mental attacks could work on me, but illusion spells could if my eyes perceived them rather than my mind being infected. I laughed again sheathing my sword. I watched as the illusions swarm around me, each one slowly phasing out. ​"Illusions!"

"Very good, young Sith. Illusions can not harm you, but can rattle your will. I told you I didn't want to break your will, I never said I wouldn't show you that your will is still weak."

 

[Poe]

"My will is not weak," I growled. I was young and reckless, and still learning about the Force, but my will was not weak. "These tricks prove nothing. Nothing!" The Force Ghost, Lumiya, just stood there looking at me with smiles in her eyes. "Your anger is quite refreshing, quite unstable. Has your Master not taught you to control them?" I walked toward the ghostly woman replying, "Indeed he has. I rule my emotions, not the other way around." Lumiya nodded, then pointed to the alter. "You will spend three days with me, after which you will be given what I know you came for."

"And tell me, ghost, what is that you think I came for?" Stepping aside, given me a clear view of the object on the alter, I finally saw what the object was. My heart skipped a beat, my eyes glowed brighter than ever, and my mouth began to drool. "Is that," I began when she replied, "Indeed that is."

 

[Poe]

​Day 1


​The first day with Lumiya the Ghost, she preached to me about the history of the Galactic Empire, mentioning Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine on several occasions. ​"To stand before the Emperor, you could feel the ultimate power radiating off his person. He was not an imposing figure as Lord Vader, but his command of the Dark Side was legendary."

During the history lesson, she recalled some stories when she studied under Lord Vader. ​"Darth Vader, my former Master, was renown for nearly eradicating the entire Jedi Order but he was not without his own embarrassing moments." ​She told me about a mission where he actually got stuck in a pipe due to the bulkiness of his suit while pursuing a young Jedi Knight. ​"He was more embarrassed than angry. But when I started to laugh, I could feel his anger elevating. It was never wise to anger Lord Vader."

​"Most don't know this, but the Emperor actually had a sense of humor." ​She told me a story involving the Hand of the Emperor, Mara Jade, on her birthday. The Emperor bought her a small, priceless gem that was smaller than a crystal shard. ​"He put the gift in a small box, then put that box into a slightly bigger box and so forth. When he presented the gift to her, poor Mara thought she was getting a really big gift. I'll never forget those facial expressions on her face every time she opened another box to find another box. The whole time the Emperor kept a hand over his face to hide the smile."

Lumiya fell silent for several minutes before she concluded. ​"When the deaths of Vader and the Emperor reached my ears, I felt lost. They were the closest to a family I ever had. When I heard it was Luke Skywalker that was responsible, well, I made it my destiny to kill that farm boy from Tattooine."

 

[Poe]

​Day 2


​The second day, Lumiya took the opportunity to teach me about taking Apprentices. ​"When choosing your student, choose wisely. In my time the Sith still believed in the Rule of Two, not like now where they're in greater numbers. Don't choose an Apprentice because they command the Dark Side. Choose a potential Apprentice based off their passion for knowledge."

Sitting on the alter, Lumiya continued. ​"When I first met Jacen Solo, I didn't believe in him. He was a tool to utilize to strike at the heart of Skywalker. Jacen was confused, he wanted to be a complete Jedi but his dark tendencies always surfaced. It didn't take much to seduce him, really. In truth, he wasn't a suitable candidate for a Sith, but after the fall of the Galactic Empire and Mara's betrayal to the Light there weren't many options open to me. I was the last of the Sith, though I wasn't Sith under the tutelage of Darth Vader. After the deaths of Paps and Vader, I found the path of the Sith."

​"If you didn't really want Jacen, other than getting revenge against this Skywalker, why take him," ​I asked. ​"As I said, I was the last of the Sith though there were others I was unaware of. Anyway, the Sith must always survive be it two or many. I thought Jacen, who took the name Darth Cadeus, would be the one to bring the Sith back to glory. As you know, he failed. I failed. And when we were no more, the Rule of Two ended with us. I took him to pass on what I knew. My body was broken, so in theory I couldn't finish what Paps and Vader started, that was my purpose for Darth Cadeus."

​"When you say others, you mean Darth Krayt and his One Sith?" Lumiya's ghostly glow brightened as she lept off the alter. "Krayt and his minions claimed Sith, but they were nothing more than cowards hiding in the shadows. Had they revealed themselves earlier, this galaxy would have had a different future if they aligned with Cadeus and myself. Never speak of them again!"

 

[Poe]

​Day 3



​"Remember, young Sith, the Dark Side will grant you untold powers but it comes with a price." She pointed to my face and the other exposed flesh not covered by my robe and outfit. ​"The Dark Side will take a toll on your body, internally and externally. You are already showing signs of Dark Side corruption. And that's just he beginning. When you become fully submersed, you will not be able to hide the fact of your Force alignment. But there are ways to hide them using the Force. You should consider looking into the Sith spell known as Mask."

Lumiya explained what Mask was and how it could be useful to me in the future. ​"However, the ability won't hide your internal failures. When you return to your Temple, take notice of the Lords. See how some wear breathing apparatuses or mechanical devices to assist them in living. The Force is eternal, sentient life is not. When particular internal organs begin to fail, and they will young Sith, you have a few options. First, you can just accept your fate and die. Secondly, you can temporarily extend your life through mechanical means but even that is just prolonging the inevitable."

"And other options," I asked. She smiled at me. ​"You can clone yourself, but I don't recommend that. There is a Force ability that can transfer your essence into another vessel, but that is up to you to discover for yourself." ​Lumiya looked over at the alter saying, ​"That weapon has served me well. It has saved my life several times, and when I was murdered I thought it lost. But the Force has a mind of it's own, and it was returned to me but you don't need to know those details. I wished never to part with it once it came back to me but my time is fleeting."

​Confused, I said, ​"You are a ghost now. I don't understand how your time is fleeting." Sighing heavily, and wiping a tear from her eyes, she replied, ​"I've lived a chaotic life and a remarkable life in death. I've haunted this temple for so long, I can't even recall the time frame myself anymore. I'm tired, young Sith. You will come across other Force Ghosts who refuse to give in, they are fools and scared to let go. A Sith should never know fear. I do not fear leaving this world for a second time, I'm just ready to know peace in death."

​"My hilt, my lightwhip, is now yours. Go and claim it from the alter." ​I hesitated momentarily before approaching the alter. The hilt was beautiful and crafted in a way I could never do. I hesitated picking it up at first, then unaware I was doing it, I reached down to retrieve it. From behind me, Lumiya said, ​"Know this, young Sith. I may be gone forever in this form, but I will always be there with you as long as you keep that hilt. And Satia, thank you for spending my last few days with me." ​The mention of my name shook me to my core. I never gave her my name. I spun around to thank her for the gift, but she was already gone.